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One-Of-A-Kind 1919 IH Truck
When an Oklahoma IH dealer died in 1968, a mystery died with him. In a back room of his dealership was a rail freight pallet containing all the pieces of a never-used 1919 IH freight truck. A Model F with a wooden frame and spokes, it’s believed to be the only one of its kind. The mystery was why it was never assembled
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One-Of-A-Kind 1919 IH Truck
When an Oklahoma IH dealer died in 1968, a mystery died with him. In a back room of his dealership was a rail freight pallet containing all the pieces of a never-used 1919 IH freight truck. A Model F with a wooden frame and spokes, it’s believed to be the only one of its kind. The mystery was why it was never assembled.
Purchased at the estate sale, the new owner assembled it and put it up for sale. In 1973, the next owner, Roy Holwick of Topeka, Kan., had it licensed and titled. He reportedly put 500 miles on it, mostly driving it in parades.
Over the next 50 years, it passed down through the hands of multiple collectors. Owner number eight, Jim Perry, recently put it up for sale after a decade of ownership and upkeep.
“I bought it from the Ken Wolf museum,” says Perry. “He made the only change in the truck since it was assembled. The original whitewall tires had cracked, and he couldn’t find whitewall replacements. He put Goodrich Silvertown 24/35s on it, but I still have the originals.”
About six years ago, Perry had Wendell Kelch (Vol. 46, No. 6), a high-end restorer from Georgetown, Ohio, go through the truck. He lubricated everything, replaced brakes and seals, and went over bearings, gears and engine function.
“When he was done, it fired right up with two pulls on the crank,” says Perry. “Even the acetylene lights work.”
Perry has enjoyed driving it in local parades and taking it to shows. He notes that IH semi owners are taken aback by the old freight truck with its 2,000-lb. capacity.
“Folks are amazed at the Snoopy Nose front end and the fan and radiator at the rear of the engine, like the IH tractors of the time,” says Perry. “It handles fine at wide open throttle, but it’s a little scary. It handles tight, but I’ve had it up to 16 mph.”
Perry says he’s enjoyed the truck, but it’s time to pass it on to the next collector. He has the one-of-a-kind truck priced at $39,500.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Perry, 1538 E. U.S. Rt. 36, Piqua, Ohio 45356 (ph 937-773-5811 or 937-214-4872; jamesaperry@earthlink.com).
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